For Campus Dining Services, the largest employer on campus, workers do not come served on a silver platter. In the beginning of the year, actually, it's more like paper plates.
"Last year we had real plates and stuff," said sophomore Erin Koewing.
Signs all over the cafeteria apologize for the use of paper plates. One of the three dish-washing units in Stevenson is temporarily closed. But according to Director of Campus Dining Services David Jensen, "There's no other option."
CDS has several hundred jobs to fill every year, which is what causes such inconveniences. "The first two and a half weeks are always a difficult time for us," said Jensen. As students come back CDS has to re-hire their work force, and the incoming workers, who are usually mostly underclassmen, make up the majority of the staff. The upperclassmen often move on to other jobs.
Jensen feels this trend is related to the healthy economy that is rising in Oberlin, which gives rise to a large demand for student workers. Sophomore Alma Karamesic shares that sentiment. "There's more and more people that don't need jobs on campus," said Karamesic. But, CDS has its own set of incentives to attract workers this year.
Last year CDS went up about 12 to 15 percent on wages, and this year there has been another increase. "Everything went up at least a quarter," Jensen said on Tuesday, right before the wages went up an additional 15 cents. The rates of pay have gone up most significantly for people who wash dishes and pots.
Is this enough incentive for young, fresh labor sources to work for CDS? "God no," said Koewing.
Karamesic was a little less opposed. "If worse came to worse," she said, "I wouldn't have any problem with it."
Apparently many other students don't have a problem with it either. So far, CDS has been very successful in the hiring process, hiring about 11 students per day. Now that people are getting settled into their daily class and extracurricular schedules, the hiring has increased to sometimes as many as 11 people just by lunchtime.
According to Jensen, there is usually a full employment picture about two to three weeks after classes begin. In the meantime, CDS utilizes the services of returning workers, who are paid an extra 10 cents for coming back. CDS also turns to local townspeople and to temp agencies to fill in the blanks until the approximately 200 student workers fill up the work chart.
When this happens, the third dish hall will re-open and students will once again be able to use "real" plates.
And what of the wraps and the pasta bar? "That'll come," said Jensen. "That'll come back."
Copyright © 1999, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 128, Number 3, September 17, 1999
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